Free Republic

Dec. 13, 2004 1:21 | Updated Dec. 13, 2004 13:20 Bye-bye, religious parties By ELLIOT JAGER Michael Melchior and Moshe Feiglin make strange bedfellows. Yet in talking to both men last week, I was struck by how much they had in common. They agreed that the era of religious political parties in Israel was coming to a close, that mixing politics and Judaism had been detrimental to civil society, and that an alternative way had to be found to instill Jewish cultural values into the body politic. The Danish-born Melchior is a velvet-yarmulke-wearing Orthodox rabbi and Labor-Meimad Knesset member. But...

Sep. 8, 2004 23:32 | Updated Sep. 9, 2004 8:50 PM not considering national referendum By GIL HOFFMAN Prime Minister Ariel Sharon meets with The Jerusalem Post Tuesday, September 7, 2004. Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has no plans to take his unilateral disengagement plan to a referendum of the general population, Sharon's spokesmen said on Wednesday, reiterating comments Sharon made to The Jerusalem Post the day before. Sharon's office refuted a Channel 2 report from journalist Amnon Abramowitz that the prime minister's associates told Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev that Sharon would agree to a referendum if...

Dec. 23, 2003 Close the religious councils By MICHAEL BOYDEN As we approach the beginning of 2004, the chances that religious councils will be abolished by the end of this December seem increasingly remote. Not that anyone should be surprised. All too often, the Promised Land turns out, in fact, to be the land of unfulfilled promises. Although seldom heard of - except when they decide to go on strike and close their doors to those whom they are supposed to serve - the religious councils are meant to be there to meet our needs. The Jewish Religious Services Law,...

Last Update: 08/10/2003 23:05 NRP MKs to urge coalition exit over Religious Ministry row By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Staff Members of the National Religious Party faction in the Knesset decided Wednesday evening that they would recommend for the party to quit the government unless its demands are met regarding the breakup of the Religious Affairs Ministry and the regional religious councils. The party's central committee will meet after the Sukkot holiday, which begins Friday evening and lasts until the following Saturday. During the meeting, which came in the wake of a cabinet decision earlier in the day...

Oct. 8, 2003 Rabbinical courts transferred to 'secular' Justice Ministry By HERB KEINON The cabinet voted to dismantle the Religious Affairs Ministry Wednesday and transfer authority over the rabbinical courts to the Justice Ministry headed by Shinui leader Yosef Lapid, a move that infuriated the National Religious Party and triggered a coalition crisis. The NRP, which threatened to leave the government over the issue, wants the Chief Rabbinate and the rabbinical courts to remain united and come under the purview of the Prime Minister's Office, in order to keep them out of Lapid's administrative orbit. The NRP faction decided Wednesday...

Yahalom Takes Heat from Defense Ministry 16:55 Sep 11, '03 / 14 Elul 5763 (IsraelNN.com) Defense Ministry officials are furious over MK (NRP) Shaul Yahalom blocking funding for the continued construction of the security fence between Israeli and PA areas. Officials insist that the monies that should have been allocated by Yahalom’s committee are for the continuation of the fence in the Gilboa region, and not for any controversial areas. Opposition Blasts Yahalom’s Freezing Security Fence FundsOpposition MKs including Ephraim Sneh (Labor) blasted a decision by security subcommittee chairman MK (National Religious Party) Shaul Yahalom for freezing security fence...

Housing and Construction Minister Effi Eitam said the current conflict with the Palestinians will likely lead to the death of Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat, but he would not predict how or when. Eitam said Israel needs to make war with Arafat, as he is the country's enemy. "This man can't enjoy any immunity," Eitam said in an exclusive session with Jerusalem Post editors and writers. On the broader topic of the country's future, Eitam, chairman of the National Religious Party, said "an element of Judaism - not religion" that is modern and relevant must be injected into Israeli life, or...

(IsraelNN.com) Minister (National Religious Party) Effie Eitam on Saturday night called for convening the Security Cabinet to discuss the expulsion of Yasser Arafat. Last week, in an interview on Galei Tzahal Army Radio, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declined to address questions regarding the possible expulsion of the PA leader and career terrorist.